X 


80  z 

.35  to 

.;«       -' 


NEW  MEXICO 


TERRITORIAL 


BUREAU  OF  IMMIGRATION 


-03ST- 


BERNALILLO  COUNTY 


WILLIAM  C.  HAZLEDINE 
COMMISSIONER 


NEW  ALBUaUEBatJE,  N.  M. 

FEINTED  AT  THE  DAILY  JOUENAL  BOOS  AND  JOB  OFFICZ 
±esi 


BUREAU  OF  IMMIGRATION 


OFFICERS  AND  COMMISSIONERS 


OFFICERS 


L.  BRADFORD  PRINCE,  President. 
RAFAEL  ROMERO,  Vice  President. 


L.  SPIEGELBERG,  Treasurer. 
JOHN  H.  THOMSON,  Secretary. 


MEMBERS  AT  LARGE 


THE  GOVERNOR,  ex-officio,  Santa  Fe. 
L.  BRADFORD  PRINCE,  Santa  Fe. 


LEHMAN  SPIEGELBERG,  Santa  Fe. 
T.  F.  CONWAY,  Santa  Fe. 


WILLIAM  KROENIG,  Watrous. 


BY  COUNTIES 


For  Coif  ax — 

HARRY  WHIGHAM,  Cimarron. 
For  Dona  Ana — 

A.  J.  EjOUNTAiN,  Mesilla. 
For  Grant  — 

W.  H.  LAWRENCE,  Silver  City. 
For  Lincoln — 
J.  C.  LEA,  Roswell. 

B.  H.  ELLIS,  Lincoln. 
For  Mora — 

RAFA.EL  ROMERO,  La  Cueva. 
For  Rio  Arriba — 
SAMUEL  ELDODT,  San  Juan. 

For  Bernalillo — WILLIAM  C. 


For  Santa  Fe — 

ROMULO  MARTINEZ.  Santa  Fe. 

SAMUEL  ELLISON,  Santa  Fe. 
For  San  Miguel — 

TRINIDAD  ROMERO,  Las  Vegas. 

J.  H.  KOOGLER,  Las  Vegas. 
For  Socorro— 

ANTONIO  ABEYTIA  Y  A.,  Socorro. 

MICHAEL  FISHER,  Socorro. 
For  Taos — 

THEODORE  C.  CAMP. 
For  Valencia — 

TRANQUILINO  LUNA,  Los  Lunas. 
HAZLEDINE,  Albuquerque. 


REPORT  OF  THE  COMMISSIONER 

BERNALILLO  COUNTY 


Honorable  L.  Bradford  Prince,  President  New  Mexico  Bureau  oj  Immigration, 
Santa  Fe,  N.  M. 

DEAR  SIR:  I  have  the  honor  herewith  to  present  my -report  as 
Commissioner  of  Immigration  for  the  county  of  Bernalillo.  It  was 
with  considerable  diffidence  that  I  commenced  the  work  of  preparing 
the  same,  as  I  thoroughly  appreciated  and  felt  full  well  the  great 
responsibility  resting  upon  me,  of  faithfully  performing  my  duty,  by 
fairly  and  impartially  presenting  to  the  public  an  accurate  and  true 
statement  of  the  vast  resources  and  various  advantages  of  this,  the 
largest  and  richest  county  of  New  Mexico  ;  and  the  most  serious 
question  which  confronted  me  at  the  commencement  of  my  labors 
was  how  I  could  best  accomplish  the  end  desired,  do  the  subject 
ample  justice,  and  give  accurate  and  reliable  reports  upon  the  divers 
'products  and  resources  of  Bernalillo  county. 

Primarily,  I  commenced  by  drafting  a  report  myself,  after 
obtaining  all  the  information  I  could  from  many  of  the  older  citizens 
of  the  county,  but  found  this  to  be  unsatisfactory  to  me,  and  I 
feared  it  would  prove  so  to  immigrants  seeking  information.  I 
therefore  concluded  that  the  better  course  would  be  to  call  upon 
divers  citizens  of  the  county  whom  I  knew  to  be  most  thoroughly 
conversant  with  the  particular  subjects  about  which  I  desired 
thorough  and  reliable  information,  and  request  them  to  write  articles 
on  those  subjects;  and  as  I  met  with  hearty  co-operation  from  a 
number  of  those  upon  whom  I  called,  I  ultimately  adopted  that 
plan,  and  have  the  pleasure  of  presenting  herewith  a  series  of 
papers  prepared  in  accordance  with  the  above  design. 

There  is  but  little  that  I  can  add  to  what  will  be  found  in  the 
following  pages,  as  the  subjects  treated  on  seem  to  me  to  cover 
generally  the  points  regarding  which  persons  contemplating  locating 
in  our  Territory  would  be  likely  to  seek  information,  more  especially 
as  all  of  these  articles  are  written  by  gentlemen  having  a  thorough 
and  practical  knowledge  of  the  subject  upon  which  they  write,  and 
are  in  every  respect  full  and  reliable. 


Report  of  the  Commissioner 


Some  changes  have  necessarily  taken  place  since  these  reports 
were  written,  more  particularly  in  the  town  of  Albuquerque,  whose 
growth  has  been  remarkable,  even  for  a  thriving  western  city. 
Competent  judges  have  estimated  that  the  population  of  this  town 
has  increased  at  least  twenty  per  cent,  since  the  able  article  on 
Albuquerque  was  written,  and  amongst  other  changes,  the  street 
railroad  company  have  completed  their  line,  and  have  the  same  now 
in  active  operation.  Contracts  have  also  been  let  and  lands 
purchased  for  the  erection  of  gas  works,  two  large  and  well  appointed 
hotels  have  been  opened  to  the  traveling  public,  and  the  amount  of 
the  carrying  business  of  the  railroad  to  this  point  has  so  increased 
as  to  show  that  the  freight  bills  paid  here  during  the  month  of  May 
amounted  to  over  one  hundred  and  fifty-six  thousand  dollars. 

New  and  important  mineral  districts  have  also  been  discovered 
in  this  vicinity,  and  manufacturing  and  other  industries  have  been 
greatly  increased  and  developed. 

Before  closing,  I  deem  it  highly  proper  to  officially  call  your 
attention  to  the  fact  that  a  Territorial  Fair  will,  be  held  in  the  city 
of  Albuquerque,  commencing  on  the  third  and  closing  on  the  eighth 
of  October  next,  at  which  exhibits  will  be  collected  from  every 
portion  of  the  Territory,  and  when  especial  pains  will  be  taken  to 
have  fully  represented  the  agricultural,  mineral,  and  other  products 
of  New  Mexico.  Persons  from  abroad  desiring  to  investigate  and 
examine  the  resources  and  capabilities  of  our  Territory  will  then 
have  a  most  favorable  opportunity  to  do  so  at  a  very  small  cost,  as 
the  different  railroads  passing  through  our  Territory  will  carry 
persons  to  and  from  the  exhibition  at  half  rates ;  and  in  this 
connection  I  am  also  instructed,  as  Chairman  of  the  Executive 
Committee  of  the  New  Mexico  Fair  Association,  to  extend  to  you 
and  all  the  officers  and  members  of  the  Territorial  Bureau  of 
Immigration  a  cordial  invitation  to  be  present  on  that  occasion, 
and  to  advise  you  that  ample  space  and  accommodation  will  be  set 
apart  and  provided  for  the  use  and  convenience  of  the  Bureau  and 
its  officers,  and  for  any  exhibit  you  may  see  proper  to  contribute; 
and  furthermore,  to  request  that  you  will  have  the  same  represented 
by  a  proper  officer  thereof,  who  can  furnish  information,  documents, 
etc.,  pertaining  to  the  resources  of  the  different  sections  of  our 
Territory  to  visitors  desiring  the  same. 

In  conclusion,  I  desire  to  return  my  sincere  thanks  to  the 
gentlemen  who  have  so  kindly  and  ably  assisted  me  in  preparing 


of  Bernalillo  County.  .          5 

this  report,  and  of  assuring  you  of  my  hearty  co-operation  in  any 
and  all  matters   tending   to    build   up    and    advance    the    material 
prosperity  of  our  Territory. 
I  have  the  honor  to  be, 

Yours  very  respectfuily, 

WILLIAM   C.   HAZLEDINE, 

Commissioner  for  Bernalillo  County. 
Albuquerque,  N.  M.,  June  22,  1881. 


GRAPES,  WINE  AND  FRUITS 


BY  MAJOR  H.   R.   WHITING. 

The  Rio  Grande  Valley. 

Extending  across  the  Territory  of  New  Mexico  from  north  to 
south,  are  two  large  valleys,  the  Rio  Grande  and  Pecos.  The 
former  lying  furthest  west;  reaches  from  the  Colorado  line  to  Old 
Mexico,  and  thence  on  to  the  gulf.  The  river  from  which  the 
valley  takes  its  name  being,  after  leaving  the  limits  of  the  Territory, 
and  as  it  flows  onward  to  the  sea,  the  boundry  between  our  sister 
Republic  and  the  Lone  Star  State.  The  stream  holds  its  course  in 
New  Mexico  through  broad  and  fertile  valleys,  which  now  and  then 
abruptly  end  at  canons,  where  the  channel  is  confined  to  narrow 
limits  by  the  high  and  rocky  banks.  The  soil  is  principally  composed 
of  silicious  and  other  fertilizing  matter,  washings  from  the  moun- 
tains, brought  down  by  the  small  creeks  and  rivers  from  the  north 
and  the  sudden  freshets  in  the  arroyas  or  gulches,  which  latter, 
though  dry  the  greater  portion  of  the  year,  are  subject  to  periodical 
floods.  By  the  spring  and  summer  rises  in  the  Rio  Grande, 
immense  quantities  of  rich  mud  are  distributed  through  the  hundreds 
of  irrigating  ditches  over  the  cultivated  land,  adding  yearly  to  its 
fertility.  As  the  floods  .of  the  Nile  to  that  valley,  are  those  of  the 
Rio  Grande  to  this,  the  on-rushing,  turbid  waters  bearing  on  their 
restless  bosom,  countless  benefits  to  the  cultivators  of  the  soil. 

The  Grape  Growing  Belt 

extends  from  about  the  northern  line  of  this,  Bernalillo  conutv,  to 


Report  of  ike  Commissioner 


and  through  Valencia,  Socorro  and  Dona  Ana  counties,  to  the 
Chihuahua  and  the  Texas  line. 

The  Valley  in  Bernalillo  County 

being  from  one  to  four  miles  in  wfdth  and  susceptible,  every  foot  of 
it,  of  cultivation.  In  the  lowest  plane,  formed  almost  entirely  of 
alluvium,  all  of  the  vineyards  are  now  located,  where  they  can  be 
irrigated  by  means  of  ditches,  the  rain  fall  being  so  uncertain  that 
this  sure  method  is  relied  upon  instead  of  the  fickle  showers  from 
the  clouds. 

The  Vine  and  Its  Culture. 

i 
The  grape  most  generally  cultivated  is  that  known  as  the  "Mission" 

variety,  supposed  to  have  be?.n  introduced  by  the  Franciscan  friars 
and  cultivated  in  the  valley  for  the  past  two  centuries.  Some  small 
vineyards  of  the  "Muscatel"  are  also  found,  but  generally  as  a  table 
grape,  it  coming  into  marker  a  short  time  before  the  other. 

The  vineyards  are  almost  always  started  from  ^cuttings,  planted 
from  six  to  ten  feet  apart  each  way,  though  some  growers  prefer  to 
trench  the  cuttings  and  root 'them  for  planting  the  first  or  second 
year  after,  in  the  places  where  they  are  to  remain.  The  Mexican 
method  of  culture  does  not  require  staking  or  trellising,  and  the  first 
three  years  are  directed  more  particularly  to  giving  strength  to  the 
main  trunk.  The  vine  is  closely  trimmed  each  year,  all  superfluous 
wood  cut  away  and  only  the  trunk  and  a  few  short  branches  left,  so 
that  a  well  cared  for  plant  of  a  few  years  growth  resembles  a  dwarf 
tree.  It  is  necessary  in  setting  out  the  cuttings,  to  pack  the  soil 
closely  about  them,  to  turn  the  water  on  to  the  plant  from  the 
irrigating  ditch  as  soon  as  possible,  and  when  sufficiently  dry  repack 
the  dirt.  There  is  nothing  more  to  do  the  first  season  than  to 
irrigate  the  vineyards  at  certain  intervals  and  keep  the  ground  free 
from  weeds  until  November,  when  the  vines  are  covered  with  earth 
to  protect  them  from  the  cold  until  spring.  The  time  for  uncovering 
varies  among  the  different  growers  from  the  middle  of  February  until 
the  first  of  April.  They  are  thus  allowed  to  stand  from  ten  days  to 
a  month  and  then  trimmed.  But  few  grapes  will  be  produced  until 
the  third  season,  but  the  labor  of  the  cultivator  is  increased  from 
year  to  year  in  stirring  the  soil,  removing  the  suckers,  staking  where 
needed,  trimming,  and  covering  and  uncovering.  The  fourth  year, 
and  from  that  time  forward,  the  vines  will  be  loaded  with  the 


of  Bern  a  hi lo  County, 


delicious  fruit.  Were  I  planting  another  vineyard,  I  should  not 
plant  the  vines  less  than  ten  feet  distant  from  each  other  :  twelve 
feet  would  be  preferable  where  land  is  cheap,  thus  giving  plenty  of 
ground  for  covering  when  the  vines  are  large,  and  an  opportunity 
for  cultivation  by  machinery.  In  many  old  vineyards  the  vines  are 
so  close  together  that  when  covered  there  is  nothing  but  a  series  of 
hillocks  and  trenches — not  a  level  spot  to  be  seen.  In  New  Mexico, 
where  so  many  seeds  of  useless  plants  are  carried  on  to  the 
cultivated  lands,  and  distributed  over  them  by  the  water  from  the 
irrigating  ditches,  an  excellent  method,  in  small  vineyards,  or  where 
manual  labor  is  so  cheap,  to  hoe  the  spaces  between  the  vines  into 
small  hillocks,  whose  locations  are  changed  with  each  subsequent 
hoeing.  Thus  the  soil  does  not  crust  over  after  watering,  it  is  easier 
to  hoe  after  the  first  hoeing,  and  the  weeds  have  no  chance  to  take 
deep  root 

Watering  the  Plant. 

It  would  seem  from  what  I  have  learned  from  those  conversant 
with  the  cultivation  of  the  vine  in  France,  Germany  and  Italy,  that 
in  New  Mexico  altogether  too  much  water  is  applied  to  the  plant ; 
that  a  good  deal  less  water  and  a  good  deal  more  work  in  cultivation, 
would  increase  the  quantity  and  quality  of  the  grape  crops.  This 
may  not  be  so,  as  the  altitude  of  this  part  of  the  valley  of  the  Rio 
Grande  is  about  five  thousand  feet  above  tide  water,  the  atmosphere 
so  dry  and  the  evaporation  so  rapid.  I  am  inclined  to  think  that 
many  years  will  not  elapse  before  the  hills  skirting  the  lower  level 
of  the  valley  on  the  east  and  west,  will  also  be  utilized  to  a  great 
extent  in  the  culture  of  the  grape,  and  this  without  irrigation. 

A  Fair  Yield 

in  this  country  for  a  good  vineyard  is,  say,  from  two  to  three  gallons 
of  wine  to  a  vine,  which  is  worth  at  home,  this  spring,  from  thirty 
dollars  to  fifty  dollars  per  barrel,  of  forty  wine  gallons.  With  the 
vines  eight  feet  apart  each  way,  there  would  be  six  hundred  and 
eighty  vines  to  the  acre,  which,  at  the  lowest  estimate  above  given, 
would  yield  one  thousand  three  hundred  and  sixty  gallons.  This 
is  not  above  the  average  for  a  vineyard  in  fair  bearing. 

Benefits  and  Drawbacks. 
A  more  congenial  climate  than  that  of  this  valley  for  the  grape, 


8  Report  of  the  Commissioner 

or  a  soil  more  adapted  to  produce  beneficial  results  in  its  growth, 
cannot,  I  believe,  be  found  all  the  wide  world  over.  The  frosts  are 
usually  only  severe  enough  to  kill  the  insects  without  injury  to  the 
plant  J  no  rain  falls  when  the  plant  is  flowering  or  the  fruit 
approaches  maturity.  Such  things  as  late  and  damaging  frosts  do 
sometimes  occur.  Twice  have  they  visited  portions  of  the  valley 
during  my  thirteen  years  residence  therein,  singeing  the  leaves  and 
blossoms  and  materially  decreasing  the  yield  in  some  vineyards. 
During  July  and  August  there  may  be  occasional  hail  storms  which 
are  not  partial  in  the  distribution  of  their  favors.  They  are  not 
general,  but  may  strike  here  to-day  and  there  to-morrow.  •  I  have 
seen  a  clean  sweep  of  the  fruit  made  by  the  hail  three  rows  of  vines 
in  width,  and  not  a  vine  touched  on  either  side  ;  and  brings  to  mind 
another  instance  of  a  small  vineyard  entirely  stripped  of  leaves  and 
fruit  and  not  a  vine  injured  in  the  vineyards  immediately  adjoining 
on.  the  north  and  south.  These  are  the  drawbacks — the  same  as 
other  countries  are  subjected  to.  But  New  Mexico,  or  at  least  this 
portion  of  it,  is  a  land  of  sunshine  ;  and  the  grape,  the  creature  of 
the  sun,  rejoicing  in  its  genial  warmth,  when  Nature  has  brought  it 
to  completion,  is  a  perfect  work  ;  rich,  juicy,  delicious,  far  superior 
for  the  table,  in  flavor,  to  the  best  American  varieties.  Come  to 
the  generous  valley  of  the  Rio  Grande,  where  the  fruit  has  reached 
the  acme  of  perfection,  and  indulge  for  once  in  a  grape  fresh  from 
the  vine,  in  the  early  morning,  sparkling  with  dew,  and  so  much 
more  delicious  than  any  you  have  ever  eaten  ;  roll  the  delicious 
morsel  under  your  tongue  and  drink  of  the  juice  as  it  flows  in  its 
virgin  purity  from  the  wine  presses  of  our  valley.  If  you  do  not 
remain  over  to  another  harvest  you  will  surely  return  as  the  season 
again  rolls  around. 

Locale  of  the  Vineyards. 

The     extensive    vineyards    of    BernalHlo    county    begin    at    the 
flourishing  town  of  Bernalillo  on  the  north,  and  continue  at  intervals 
through  that  and  the  towns  of  Alameda,  El  Rancho,  Los  Rap 
Griegos,  Candelarias,  Albuquerque  and  Barelas,  on  the  east. 
Corrales.  Atrisco,  Pajarito  and  Isleta  on  the  west  bank  of  the  river. 
Isleta  is  an  Indian  Pueblo  famous  for  its  fruit.     The  counties  below 
— Valencia,  Socorro  and  Dona  Ana — have  large  vineyards  at  and 
near  ;he  towns  of  Peralta.  Las   Lentes,  Los   Lunos. 
Helen,  Sabinal.  Polvadera,   Lemitar.   Socorro.    Las   Cruces   and   La 
Me  si  11  a. 


of  Bernalillo  County. 


An  Effect  of  Wine  Drinking. 

Possibly  some  of  the  good  people  of  the  Atlantic  States,  who 
received  the  Mission  grape  seed  distributed  by  the  Interior  Depart- 
ment before  the  war,  had  but  a  poor  opinion  of  it.  The  story  runs 
that  a  Major  Williams  was  sent  to  "New  Mexico  to  study  the  Mexican 
method  of  cultivating  the  grape,  and  found  himself  at  El  Paso,  the 
guest  of  the  hospitable  Dons  of  that  lovely  border  town.  Here  the 
Major,  under  the  influence  of  the  famous  El  Paso  wine,  purchased 
and  shipped  to  the  department,  several  tons  of  grape  seed,  which 
had  been  thoroughly  boiled  in  the  process  of  manufacturing  sugar 
from  the  refuse  of  the  grape  after  the  expression  of  its  juices. 

Wine  Making. 

• 

It  is  scarcely  necessary  for  the  present  object  to  give  the  minutiae 
of  the  modus  operandi  of  wine  making  as  practiced  in  this  valley. 
Suffice  it  to  say  that  labor  saving  processes  are  being  introduced, 
and  the  old  method  of  treading  out  the  grape  by  boys  and  girls,  and 
men  and  women,  is  going  out  of  use.  From  the  juice  tramped  out  a 
dark  red  wine  is  made,  and  the  lighter  kinds  are  produced  from  the 
juice  extracted  by  later  and  greater  pressure. 

The  Wine  Makers. 

Among  those  who  carry  on  the  business  of  wine  making  on  a 
considerable  scale  in  Bernalillo  county  are  Mrs.  Josephine  Tondre, 
at  Isleta ;  Messrs.  Franz  Huning,  Santiago  Baca  and  the  Jesuit 
Fathers,  at  Albuquerque  ;  Don  Lorenzo  Montaho,  at  the  Ranchos  of 
Albuquerque  ;  the  Gonzales  at  Corrales  and  Don  Francisco  Perea 
and  other  gentlemen,  at  Bernalillo.  The  Messrs.  Louis  and  Henry 
Huning,  at  Los  Lunas  and  Belen,  also  have  extensive  cellars,  the 
modern  methods,  and  make  several  hundred  barrels  yearly. 

Our  Future. 

With  the  improved  methods  of  culture  and  modern  processes  of 
manufacture,  and  the  influx  of  men  of  large  experience  from  our 
own  and  other  countries,  the  valley  of  the  Rio  Grande  will  soon 
become  famous,  and  take  its  place  at  the  head  of  the  wine  and 
brandy  producing  districts  of  the  world. 

Tree  Fruits. 
Until  within  a  few  years  but  slight  attention  has  been  paid  in  this 


IO  Report  of  the  Commissioner 


prart  of  the  valley  to  the  culture  of  fine  tree  fruits.  Small  July  and 
October  apples,  red  (wild)  plums,  fair  pears,  good  peaches,  excel- 
lent apricots  and  enormous  quinces  have  been  raised  successfully  by 
the  descendants  of  the  Spaniards  from  time  immemorial  ;  also  by 
the  Indians  of  several  of  the  puebJos.  Experience  has  proven  that 
the  finest  apples  and  pears  can  be  raised  in  this  locality  by  grafting 
into  the  native  stock  ;  and  my  advice,  were  it  worth  anything, 
would  be  to  any  one  contemplating  the  planting  of  an  orchard  to 
set  out  the  stock  where  it  is  to  remain,  and  the  second  year  cut  off 
near  the  ground  and  graft  into  it  with  scions  from  fruit-bearing 
trees  of  the  varieties  desired.  In  this  way  fruit-bearing  trees*can  be 
secured  much  sooner  than  by  planting  the  standard  or  dwarf  tree 
from  the  eastern  nurseries.  Trees  grafted' as  stated,  need  tying  to 
stakes  for  the  first  two  years,  to  protect  them  from  the  high  winds 
prevailing  in  the  spring  months  ;  and  all  fruit  trees  on  account  of 
these  winds  should  be  pruned  down  and  the  branches  kept  as  near- 
the  ground  as  possible.  I  have  known  trees  grafted  near  the 
ground  in  April,  to  grow  seven  feet  in  height  by  the  fall  of  the  leaf 
the  same  year  and  the  stem  just  above  the  graft  bulb  to  increase 
from  the  ordinary  size  of  an  apple  scion  to  one  and  one-half  inches 
in  diameter.  All  fruit  trees  are  healthy  in  this  valley  if  properly 
cared  for,  and  yield  enormously.  The  apricot  and  peach,  blos- 
soming so  early  in  the  season,  are  uncertain  crops,  but  the  other 
tree  fruits  of  the  temperate  zone  are  almost  sure.  In  the  lower 
valley  the  fig  and  almond  do  well,  and  as  far  north  as  Valencia  I 
have  known  fair  crops  to  be  raised. 

Nurseries  and  Shade  Trees. 

Nurseries  are  needed  in  this  portion  of  the  valley,  and  no 
legitimate  business  would  yield  better  financial  results.  In  them 
should  be  raised  for  sale,  not  only  fruit  trees  of  all  kinds  and 
shrubs,  but  also  a  good  assortment  of  evergreen  and  deciduous 
trees  for  shade  purposes.  Though  but  few  countries  need  shade 
trees  more  than  New  Mexico,  scarcely  any  have  less.  Its  chief 
reliance  is  the  cottonwood,  which,  though  a  rapid  grower,  is  not 
desirable  near  a  residence  at  the  season  of  the  year  when  the 
inevitable  caterpillar  breeds  in  its  branches.  The  ailantus  does 
well  and  I  should  suppose  the  catalpa  and  silver-leaved  maple 
would  slso. 


of  Bernalillo  County.  II 

The  Fruit  Tree  Belt. 

In  this  belt  may  be  included,  not  only  the  valleys  of  the  Rio 
Grande  and  Pecos,  but  also  the  higher  lands  on  either  side,  and  an 
extensive  range  to  the  north  of  this  county.  I  remember  that  when 
the  peach  crop  failed  in  the  Rio  Grande  valley  (in  1869,  I  think)  the 
only  peaches  we  got  that  year  were  from  the  Indian  pueblo  of 
Jemes,  which  has  an  altitude  several  thousand  feet  greater  than 
Albuquerque,  and  is  about  forty  miles  further  north.  Most  excel- 
lent apples  are  raised  at  Santa  Fe,  and  could  be,  I  have  no  doubt, 
in  many  of  the  valleys  in  the  mountains  to  the  east,  west  and  north 
of  us. 

If,  in  the  foregoing  statement  of  facts  and  beliefs,  I  shall  induce 
any  one  to  inquire  more  deeply  into  subjects  upon  which  I  have 
merely  touched,  or  shall  have  assisted  in  the  slightest  degree  in 
making  known  to  the  "outside  barbarians"  something  of  this,  to 
them  terra  incognita,  I  am  fully  repaid. 


PRINCIPAL  TOWNS  OF  BERNALILLO  COUNTY 

And  Their  Population. 


Albuquerque 3>7°° 

Bernalillo 1,800 


Los  Griegos 400 

El  Rancho •  300 


Alaineda 650  j  Ranchos 350 

Pena  Blanca 600  Chilili 500 

Ranchos  de  Atrisco ....  700  j  Algodones 500 

Corrales 600  J  San  Antonio 600 

Cosa   Salazar 400  \  Plazitas 200 

Rio  Puerco 600  j  Barelas 400 

Nacieminto 400  j  Pajarito 500 

Ventana ^ .  .  .  .  400.  j 


MINES  AND  MINING 


PROF.  CHAS.    S.    HOWE,   H.   S. 


Until  within  a  very  short  time,  New  Mexico  has  been  compara- 
tively unknown.     While    California,  Nevada  and    Colorado    have 


12  Report  of  the  Commissioner 

been  extensively  prospected  and  their  mines  developed,  this  terri- 
tory has  rarely  seen  a  prospector  or  heard  the  sound  of  his  pick. 
The  reason  of  this  may  be  found  in  its  isolation  by  reason  of  not 
having  railroad  communication  with  other  states.  Another  reason 
was  that  it  was  inhabited  by  another  race  of  people  who  looked 
with  disfavor  upon  strangers.  No  one  has  ever  doubted  the  mineral 
wealth  of  New  Mexico.  Situated  in  the  heart  of  the  Rocky 
mountains,  it  is  in  the  centre  of  that  great  mineral  belt  that  extends 
across  our  continent.  Colorado  to  the  north  and  old  Mexico  to 
the  south  have  long  been  known  as  rich  mineral  sections,  and  there 
would  be  every  reason  to  believe  that  New  Mexico,  situated 
between  them,  would  prove  no  exception  to  their  richness,  had  not 
that  fact  been  already  conclusively  proved  by  numerous  rich 
discoveries.  But  we  know  to  a  certainty  that  the  mines  of  this 
territory  were  worked  years  ago  by  the  Spaniards.  History  informs 
us  that  soon  after  the  conquest  of  old  Mexico,  the  Spaniards 
pushed  up  into  this  region,  conquered  it  and  worked  on  an  exten- 
sive scale  its  mines  and  placers.  Ruins  of  old  cities  and  towns, 
with  their  churches,  turreted  and  loop-holed  for  defense,  are  found 
scattered  all  over  the  country.  Many  of  them  are  in  mountainous 
regions  where  the  only  industry  possible  was  mining.  They  could 
not  have  been  built  for  defense,  because  the  cities  are  large  and 
some  of  them  must  have  contained  thousands  of  people.  Numerous 
ruins  of  smelters  are  also  found,  giving  indisputable  evidence  that 
mines  were  once  worked  on  a  large  scale.  Two  hundred  years 
ago  the  Indians,  who  had  been  enslaved  and  forced  to  work  these 
mines,  broke  out  in  rebellion  and  drove  the  Spaniards  from  the 
country.  So  intense  was  their  hatred  toward  those  places  in  which 
they  had  been  forced  to  labor,  that  they  filled  up  every  old  mine  so 
that  no  trace  could  be  found  of  them.  A  number  of  years  after  the 
Spaniards  were  allowed  to  return  to  the  country,  but  only  on 
condition  that  the  mines  should  never  be  opened  or  worked.  This 
condition  seems  to  have  been  faithfully  kept,  and  for  many  years 
mining  was  wholly  abandoned  in  the  Territory.  During  the  early 
part 'of  this  century  we  hear  of  some  of  these  old  mines  being 
opened  and  new  ones  being  discovered,  but  they  were  never  worked 
to  any  great  extent.  The  Indians  were  hostile,  transportation  vras 
expensive,  and  the  methods  of  working  ore  very  rrticle.  It  is  only 
within  a  short  period  that  the  mines  of  New  Mexico  have  be^un  to 
attract  attention.  For  two  hundred  years  they  ha\v  been  lying 


of  Bern  a  lillo  County.  13 


dormant,  but  their  rest  is  nearly  ended.  The  tireless  prospectors 
will  soon  cover  every  hill  and  mountain.  Every  stone  will  be 
upturned  in  search  of  mineral  and  the  wealth  of  our  mountains 
once  more  be  brought  to  light. 

Bernalillo  county  contains  some  of  the  most  valuable  of  these 
old  Spanish  mines.  Several  districts  have  already  been  opened 
and  work  enough  done  to  prove  their  richness.  The  greatest 
variety  of  minerals  abound  within  the  limits  of  the  county.  Gold, 
silver,  copper,  lead,  iron,  coal,  and  lime  are  found  in  large  quanti- 
ties. Granite  and  sandstone  for  building  purposes  are  found  in 
numerous  places.  Immense  masses  of  crystallized  gypsum  are 
found  in  the  southern  part  of  the  county.  The  value  of  this  mineral 
as  a  fertilizer  and  for  use  in  the  arts  is  too  well  known  to  need 

explanation. 

Coal. 

Already  several  coal  beds  have  been  found  and  there  is  no  doubt 
but  when  the  country  is  better  prospected,  this  mineral  will  be 
discovered  in  very  large  quantities.  These  coal  measures  were 
formed  during  the  upper  Cretaceous  and  early  Eocene  periods  and 
consequently  consist  wholly  of  lignite  or  brown  coal.  It  is  of  a 
superior  kind  and  produces  a  great  amount  of  heat.  On  the  Rio 
Puerco,  about  twenty  miles  from  Albuquerque,  several  veins  have 
been  opened  which  vary  from  four  to  eight  feet  in  width.  In 
Tijeras  canon  one  vein  is  nine  feet  thick  and  very  pure.  Other 
veins  are  known  to  exist  in  these  and  other  localities  but  they  have 
never  been  opened.  There  has  been,  no  demand  for  coal  here 
until  within  a  short  time  and  consequently  none  has  been  taken 

out. 

Iron. 

Various  ores  of  iron  are  found  scattered  over  the  country,  the 
oxides  and  sulphides  predominating.  Iron  is  so  widely  distributed 
over  the  globe  that  ores  have  to  be  particularly  rich  in  order  to 
pay  for  working.  Probably  at  no  distant  day  the  iron  ores  of  New 
Mexico,  found  as  they  are  in  many  places  in  close  proximity  to 
coal,  will  be  found  valuable  enough  to  work. 

Among  the  many  mining  districts  already  opened,  I  will  speak 
now  particularly  of  three  or  four. 

Hell  Canon. 
Hell  canon  is  situated  twenty  miles  east  from  Albuquerque,  on  the  j 


14  Report  of  the  Commissioner 

west  side  of  the  Sandia  mountains.  This  mining  district  was 
discovered  in  the  summer  of  1879.  The  ore  is  a  decomposed 
quartz  carrying  free  gold,  some  silver  and  copper.  The  Manzanita 
Consolidated  Mining  company  own  a  group  of  four  mines,  situated 
just  south  of  the  entrance  to  the  canon.  The  Manzanita  is  a  lode 
of  gold  bearing  quartz  from  fifteen  to  twenty  feet  wide.  Already  a 
shaft  fifty  feet  deep  has  been  sunk,  and  a  tunnel  thirty  feet  in 
length  dug.  The  ore  runs  from  twelve  to  twenty  dollars  to  the 
ton.  One  of  the  best  known  mines  in  the  camp  is  the  Star,  owned 
by  Messrs.  Strahan,  Thomas  and  others.  It  was  discovered  in 
August,  1879,  and  from  the  first-  gave  proof  of  great  richness.  It 
consists  of  a  free  milling  quartz  ore,  and  the  vein  is  fully  eight  feet 
wide.  Assays  from  this  mine  have  shown  from  one  hundred  and 
twenty-eight  dollars  to  one  hundred  and  sixty-four  dollars  to  the 
ton.  Arrangements  are  now  being  made  to  erect  a  stamp  mill  to 
work  this  ore.  One  of  the  earliest  discovered  lodes  was  the 
Milagros.  This  was  the  first  to  call  the  attention  of  miners  to  Hell 
canon,  and  it  has  since  fully  sustained  its  reputation.  Three  miles 
from  the  canon  is  the  Golden  Chariot  lode,  a  true  fissure  vein, 
with  well  defined  walls.  Some  of  the  other  mines  which  show  up 
fully  as  well  as  these,  but  with  less  development,  are  the  Nebraska, 
Arkansas,  Washington,  Reserve  and  Parole.  North  of  the  canon 
are  several  galena  veins  found  in  a  granite  formation.  One  of 
these,  the  Indiana,  assayed  one  hundred  and  seventy  ounces  silver 
on  the  surface.  It  is  not  claimed  for  this  district  that  the  ore  is 
extremely  rich,  but  that  there  is  an  immense  quantity  of  it  and  it  is 
easily  worked  and  milled.  Water  enough  to  run  several  mills  can 
be  obtained  up  the  canon  and  the  sides  of  the  mountains  are  well 
wooded. 

Tijeras  Canon. 

Tijeras  cafion  cuts  its  way  through  the  centre  of  the  Sandia 
mountains,  and  has  long  been  the  principal  route  from  the  Rio 
Grande  eastward.  It  lies  only  twelve  miles  from  the  river  and  is 
connected  with  it  by  a  fine,  hard  road.  The  ores  are  copper,  lead 
and  silver.  The  discovery  of  several  rich  copper  lodes  a  few  weeks 
since  has  recently  attracted  prospectors  thither  and  many  rich 
discoveries  are  reported.  Galena  has  also  been  found,  some  of  it 
very  rich  in  silver.  This  is  one  of  the  districts  which  has  just  been 
discovered,  but  which  will  soon  command  attention. 


of  Bernalillo  County.  15 

New  Placers. 

This  district  lies  forty  miles  northeast  of  Albuquerque  and 
twenty  miles  from  the  river.  The  placers  existing  here  have  been 
known  many  years.  In  former  years  the  dirt  was  carried  to  the  Rio 
Grande  on  burros  and  there  washed.  The  dirt  is  so  rich  that  even 
this  expensive  method  was  profitable.  Over  a  million  dollars  worth 
of  gold  has  already  been  taken  out  and  the  supply  seems  inexhaust- 
ible. The  great  difficulty  here,  as  in  other  placers  of  New  Mexico, 
has  been  the  lack  of  water.  For  this  reason  but  very  little  has  ever 
been  done  with  these  rich  deposits.  The  placers  lie  south  and 
west  of  the  Placer  mountains,  and  cover  thousands  of  acres.  A 
large  part  of  this  district  is  owned  by  eastern  capitalists  known  as 
the  Canon  del  Agua  and  San  Pedro  company.  This  company 
purchased  two  old  Spanish  grants,  the  Cafion  del  Agua  grant  and 
the  San  Pedro  grant  and  claim  all  the  mineral  found  upon  both. 
They  are  making  extensive  preparations  to  work  both  the  placers 
and  the  mines,  and  soon  smelters,  mills  and  sluices  will  be  in 
working  order.  As  it  was  impossible  to  procure  water  near  at  hand 
to  work  the  placers,  the  company  decided  to  bring  the  water  from 
the  Sandia  mountains,  fifteen  miles  away.  To  do  this  required  an 
outlay  of  five  hundred  thousand  dollars,  but  with  the  prospect  of 
making  millions  thereby  the  expenditure  of  this  amount  was  trifling. 
A  canon  on  the  west  side  of  the  Sandia  mountains  was  dammed  up 
and  two  immense  reservoirs  formed  to  hold  the  water  accumulating 
from  the  rains,  melting  snows  and  springs.  The  water  will  be 
carried  in  large  iron  pipes  to  the  placers,  and  with  a  fall  of  several 
hundred  feet  be  turned  against  the  gold-bearing  sand.  At  the 
present  time  the  pipes  are  nearly  laid,  and  before  long,  the  process 
of  washing  will  be  commenced.  Besides  the  placers,  this  company 
owns  a  great  many  mines  of  gold  and  copper.  The  largest  and 
richest  among  them  is  the  Old  Copper  Mine,  which  has  been 
worked  for  a  number  of  years,  and  for  which  a  handsome  sum  was 
paid  outside  the  price  of  the  grant.  The  vein  in  this  mine  is  thirty- 
one  feet  wide  and  dips  at  an  angle  of  ten  degrees.  The  ore  carries 
free  gold  and  green  carbonate  and  oxide  of  copper.  It  will  yield 
on  an  average  from  seventy-five  dollars  to  one  hundred  dollars  in 
gold,  and  the  greater  part  of  it  twenty  per  cent,  copper.  This 
company  probably  has  the  richest  property  in  New  Mexico,  and 
everv  effort  is  being  made  to  develop  it. 


1 6  Report  of  t)ie  Commissioner 


But  the  New  JPiacers  district  includes  a  large  tract  off  the  grants 
and  some  of  the  richest  mines  are  found  without  their  limits.  The 
Mammoth  Consolidated  Mining  company  own  several  very  valua- 
ble claims.  This  company  includes  a  number  of  New  York  and 
|  Santa  Fe  capitalists,  and  has  a  capital  of  ten  million  dollars.  Two 
|  million  dollars  have  been  raised  for  working  capital,  and  the 
company  is  acquiring  a  large  amount  of  valuable  property.  Some 
of  its  claims  are  the  Rebel  Boy,  which  shows  a  vein  seven  feet  in 
width,  carrying  copper  and  gold;  the  Blackbird,  which  has  a  four- 
and-a-half  foot  vein  that  assays  two  thousand  six  hundred  and 
twenty  dollars  to  the  ton,  besides  a  large  per  cent,  of  copper ;  and 
ten  thousand  acres  of  placers.  The  Harry  St.  George  and  the 
Delgado  mines  are  owned  by  the  company.  The  latter  is  one  of 
the  finest  lodes  in  the  camp.  One  streak  in  it  is  said  to  have 
assayed  fifty  thousand  dollars.  The  Keystone  is  #n  immense  body 
of  mineral  and  is  said  to  be  even  richer  than  the  Old  Copper.  The 
Elwood,  Old  Lexington,  Handy,  Missouri,  Little  Quaker  and 
Fannie  Vaughn  are  all  valuable  claims.  Their  veins  vary  from 
three  feet  to  seven  feet  in  width,  with  a  good  showing  of  mineral. 
Both  contact  and  fissure  veins  are  found  and  are  generally  well 
defined.  While  the  New  Placers  is  a  gold  camp,  there  are  several 
silver  mines  within  its  borders.  The  Galena  mine  is  the  best  j 
known  of  these  and  assays  one  hundred  ounces  silver,  a  large  per  I 
cent,  lead,  and  from  twenty-five  dollars  to  thirty  dollars  in  gold. 
The  town  of  Golden,  on  the  west  side  of  the  Placer  mountains,  is  a  I 
lively,  thriving  town  of  about  one  thousand  inhabitants.  It  is 
rapidly  increasing  in  size  and  will  soon  be  one  of  the  largest  mining  j 
towns  in  the  territory.  A  ten  stamp  mill  is  in  operation  now  and  ; 
others  will  soon  be  erected. 

Nacimiento. 

For  years  the  Mexicans  and  Indians  have  brought  very  rich  . 
specimens  of  copper  ore  from  the  Jemez  and  Nacimiento  mountains. 
It  was  known  that  there  was  a  rich  body  of  mineral  there  some- 
where, but  no  systematic  effort  was  made  to  find  it  until  1880.  In 
June  of  that  year  the  Nacimiento  Copper  Mining  company  was 
formed,  and  prospectors  sent  out  to  search  for  the  rich  copper  ores 
which  were  known  to  exist  in  that  range  of  mountains.  After  some 
months  of  prospecting  the  place  from  whence  these  rich  specimens 
were  brought  was  discovered,  and  several  very  valuable  claims 


of  Bernalillo  County.  17 

taken  up.  This  property  is  on  the  west  side  of  the  Nacimiento 
mountains.  The  copper  occurs  as  copper  glance  and  gray  copper 
in  the  ledges  of  sandstone.  The  white  and  red  sandstone  runs 
parallel  with  the  mountain  side,  and  for  a  distance  of  ten  miles 
shows  traces  of  copper.  In  some  places  the  copper  occurs  as 
fossils,  mostly  of  trees,  but  in  others  it  is  in  immense  lodes  of 
conglomerate.  A  small  amount  of  silver  is  found  with  the  copper 
on  the  surface,  and  seems  to  increase  with"  the  depth.  The  Naci- 
miento company  now  'own  over  a  dozen  claims,  on  all  of  which 
large  deposits  are  found.  Among  these  claims  are  the  Eureka, 
Eureka  No.  2,  Copper  Queen,  Copper  Crown,  Copper  Prince, 
Gertrude  and  Crown  Prince.  On  the  Eureka  a  tunnel  one  hundred 
feet  long  has  been  dug.  At  a  distance  of  fifty  feet  from  the  surface 
a  large  vein  of  conglomerate,  twelve  feet  wide,  averaging  twenty- 
five  per  cent,  copper,  was  struck.  From  that  point  the  tunnel  has 
followed  the  vein  along  the  dip.  This  vein  can  be  easily  traced  for 
over  five  hundred  feet  along  the  surface,  and  the  indications  are 
that  it  runs  along  near  the  surface  for  the  distance  of  a  mile.  In 
Eureka  No.  2,  lying  next  to  the  Eureka,  the  same  kind  of  ore  has 
been  found,  and  probably  the  same  vein  will  be,  struck.  The 
Copper  Queen  shows  a  smaller  vein,  but  is  much  richer.  It  runs 
over  fifty  per  cent.,  and  parts  of  it  as  high  as  sixty  per  cent.  In  all 
of  these  mines  there  is  an  abundance  of  ore  that  will  run  forty  per 
cent,  copper.  During  the  last  few  months,  other  prospectors  have 
gone  into  the  camp,  and  over  a  hundred  claims  have  been  staked 
out.  A  mining  district  has  been  formed,  and  a  recorder's  office 
established.  As  a  copper  camp  this  is  one  of  the  richest  in  the 
west.  A  railroad  will  soon  be  built  to  Jemez,  twenty-five 
miles  from  the  mines.  Large  veins  of  fine  bituminous  coal  are 
found  within  a  short  distance  of  the  mines,  and  wood  and  water 
are  close  at  hand.  The  Nacimiento  company  expect  soon  to 
have  a  smelter  in  operation  and  be  ready  to  ship  bullion  by 

next  fall. 

This  is  a  brief  description  of  the  most  important  mining  districts 
of  Bernalillo  county.  Others  are  being  opened  every  day.  The 
mountains  seem  to  be  full  of  rich  veins  which  only  wait  the  labor  of 
the  prospector  and  miner  to  be  discovered  and  developed.  For 
the  miner  and  capitalist  there  can  be  no  better  section  of  the 
country  than  this.  Prospecting  has  hardly  begun,  and  yet  the 


1 8  Report  of  the  Commissioner 

results  are  astonishing.  Money  is  needed  for  further  development, 
and  the  greatest  inducements  are  offered  to  capitalis  to  come  here 
and  open  up  this  new  country. 


ALBUQUERQUE 


BY    W.  M.   PATTON. 


San  Felipe  Neri  de  Albuquerque,  now  Albuquerque,  is  no  doubt 
one  of  the  oldest  settlements  in  the  territory,  and  was  christened  in 
honor  of  Francisco  Fernandez  de  la  Cueva,  Duke  of  Albuquerque 
who  figured  over  two  centuries  ago  in  the  history  of  the  territory  as 
Viceroy  of  Mexico,  in  1659  and  1660,  and  again  from  1701  to  1711. 
Although  we  have  no  authentic  history  at  hand  to  prove  that  it  had 
an  existence  prior  to  the  date  given  above,  yet  the  petitions  for 
land  grants,  and  their  approval,  from  which  we  obtain  such  infor- 
mation as  we  are  able  to  give  our  readers,  and  on  which  the  title  to 
the  present  town  site  rests  its  validity,  gives  ample  evidences  of 
there  being,  at  that  time,  a  large  and  prosperous  settlement  here. 
In  casting  about  for.  something  tangible  upon  which  to  base  the 
theory  that  Albuquerque  had  an  existence  long  antedating  its 
occupation  by  the  Spaniards,  we  find  in  the  Jemes  mountains,  about 
sixty-five  miles  northwest  from  here,  the  ruins  of  tosvns,  or  pueblos, 
which,  from  the  class  of  material  used,  and  the  general  outlines  of 
buildings,  together  with  their  number,  leaves  no  doubt  of  their 
occupancy,  at  some  period,  by  an  advanced  race  of  people,  who 
were  both  prosperous  and  numerous.  This  section  of  country  is  in 
no  way  adapted  to  agriculture,  or  the  production  of  the  necessary 
subsistence  to  support  so  large  a  population,  hence  the  theory  is 
well  founded,  that  the  Rio  Grande  valley  has  always,  as  it  does 
to-day,  supplied  the  necessary  subsistence  to  support  these  towns 
and  villages  whose  inhabitants  followed  various  pursuits,  such  as 
mining,  manufacturing,  etc.  These  mountains  contain  magnificent 
bodies  of  timber,  and  large  deposits  of  mineral,  principally  copper, 
though  gold,  silver,  sulphur,  gypsum,  coal  and  other  minerals  are 
found  in  considerable  quantities.  Mineral  springs  are  also  found 
in  these  mountains,  whose  curative  properties  are  said  to  be  very 
remarkable,  and  are  now  being  improved  and  brought  into  general 
notice. 


of  Bernalillo  County.  ig 

The  well  founded  supposition  that  Albuquerque  was  among  the 
earliest  settled  towns  in  the  territory,  and  has  ever  been  looked 
upon  as  one  of  prominence,  is  well  supported  by  the  fact  that  all 
of  the  principal  highways,  or  thoroughfares,  traversing  the  territory 
converge  here.  She  seems  to  have  always  been  in  times  past,  the 
great  commercial,  or  distributing  point,  for  the  products  of  the  Rio 
Grande  valley. 

The  wisdom  of  those  ancient  surveyors  who  found  Albuquerque, 
or  its  location,  to  meet  the  requirement  of  their  time  as  a  supply 
point,  cr.  station,  at  the  crossing  of  the  various  highways  to  and 
from  the  inhabited  portions  of  the  territory,  has  been  amply  shown 
and  substantially  approved  by  later  events  in  the  history  of  New 
Mexico. 

The  advent  of  a  later  and  more  progressive  type  of  civilization, 
bringing  with  it  steam,  electricity,  and  that  indomitable  energy  and 
enterprise  that  acknowledges  no  barrier,  halts  at  no  obstacle,  nor 
finds  an  impediment  to  the  consummation  of  its  lofty  ambition,  has 
seconded  the  judgment  of  its  unknown  predecessors,  by  adopting 
precisely  the  same  rules  that  evidently  governed  them  in  their 
search  for  the  most  central  and  desirable  point  at  which  to  locate 
the  crossing  of  their  highways  of  travel  and-  commerce.  Just  as 
Albuquerque  has  been  the  crossing  point  for  all  of  the  natural 
roads  in  the  territory  in  the  past,  so  she  is  destined  to  be  the 
crossing  of  all  the  great  railroads  now  traversing  the  territory.  Of 
the  people  who  contributed  alike  to  the  history  and  the  mystery 
that  surrounds  the  earlier  period  of  its  existence,  but  little  is  known, 
and  as  no  amount  of  speculation  or  surmise  can  bring  us  any 
nearer  the  desired  information,  I  will  pass  over  that  period  so 
involved  in  obscurity,  and  even  pass  over  the  tedious  details 
concerning  its  capitulation  and  occupation  by  the  Spaniards,  in 
the  sixteenth  century,  down  to  1846,  when  the  territory  came  into 
the  possession  of  the  United  States,  since  which  time,  until  recently, 
Albuquerque  has  been  an  important  military  post,  and  has  con- 
tributed much  to  modern  history.  As  a  military  post  it  was  the 
home  and  birth  place  of  many  distinguished  men  and  women  of 
our  time.  Generals  Longstreet,  Sibley  and  others  of  Confederate 
fame,  spent  the  days  of  their  frisky  lieutenancy,  and  flirted  with 
the  dark  eyed  beauties,  in  the  streets  of  Albuquerque.  Many  of 
our  notable  Union  officers  during  the  late  war,  were  nondescripts 
in  uniform,  and  amused  themselves  at  Spanish  monte  in  Albuquer- 


Report  of  the  Commissioner 


que,  in  those  old  days  of  democratic  supremacy  before  the  war. 
Mrs.  Lieutenant-General  Phil  Sheridan  found  it  convenient  to  be  i 
born  here,  and  I  might  go  on  ad  libitum  did  space  permit ;  suffice  j 
it,  however,  that  Albuquerque  has  through  all  the  changes  of  time  j 
;   sustained    the    same    unbroken    prestige    among  the   sisterhood   of 
;   communities  that  has  made  up  the  territorial  populace,  from  the 
!  unwritten  period  of  which  we  know  but  little  till  the  present  day. 
;   The  direct  lineal  descendants  of  the  Spanish  conquerors  are  here  ! 
.   to-day,  and  by  their  enterprise  and  hearty  co-operation  in  every  \ 
movement,  having  for  its  object  the  promotion  of  the  city's  interest, 
do  they  attest  the  appreciation  in  which  they  hold  the  legacy  left 
them    by  their    illustrious    ancestors.     Bernalillo    is    certainly    the 
banner  county  of  the  territory,  so  far  as  wealth  and  resources  are 
concerned.     Her  taxes  are  nominal,  and  her  paper,  or  warrants, 
are  at  par,  or  as  good  as  gold. 

Present  and  Prospective  Future. 

On  the  i5th  day  of  April,  1880,  the  first  train  of  cars  steamed 
into  Albuquerque,  over  the  Atchison.  Topeka  &  Santa  Fe  Railroad. 
From  the  date  of  this  event  in  the  history  of  the  town,  dawns  a  new 
era,  and  marks -the  beginning  of  a  progress  as  remarkable  as  its 
growth  is  phenomenal.  The  first  shrill  whistle  of  the  locomotive 
seems  to  have  awakened  from  the  slumbers  of  the  dead  past  the 
dormant  energies  of  a  people,  who,  for  generations,  have  content- 
edly tended  their  vines  and  herds  in  the  beautiful  valley  that 
stretches  away  on  every  hand,  with  scarcely  a  thought  or  care  for 
the  morrow.  Reverberating  back  over  mountain  and  valley  towards 
the  rising  sun,  it  caught  the  ear  of  progress  and  was  answered  back 
by  the  syndicate  that  moves  the  world — genius,  labor  and  capital. 

The  New  Mexico  Town  Company  laid  out  the  town  site  of  East 
Albuquerque.  Obtaining  a  title  therefor,  it  was  sub-divided  into 
1200  lots,  with  streets  and  alleys  of  ample  width,  since  which  time 
Messrs.  -Stover,  Huning  and  Hazledine  have  added  what  is  lAiown 
as  the  Atlantic  and  Pacific  addition,  composed  of  550  lots,  and 
adjoining  the  New  Mexico  Town  Company  on  the  south.  Adjoin- 
ing this  again,  still  further  south,  is  the  Baca  addition,  laid  out  by 
Don  Santiago  Baca,  an  enterprising  gentleman,  a  native  of  the 
territory.  Adjoining  these  several  additions  on  the  east,  and  across 
the  Atchison,  Topeka  &  Santa  Fe  railroad  track,  is  the  Highland 
addition,  laid  out  by  Messrs.  Huning  and  Phelan.  Adjoining  the 


of  Bernalillo  County.  21 

New  Mexico  Town  Company  on  the  north  has  been  recently  added 
the  Perea  addition,  laid  out  by  Don  Jose  Leandro  Perea,  of  Berna- 
lillo, one  of  the  wealthiest  men  in  the  county,  a  native  of  the 
territory.  The  very  reasonable  prices  at  which  property  has  been 
held  by  the  original  owners,  has  had  the  effect  of  creating  an  almost 
unprecedented  activity  in  real  estate  ;  and  we  might,  add  that  the 
uniform  desirability  of  property,  in  the  various  additions,  has  acted 
as  a  wholesome  stimulus  for  sales  of  business  and  dwelling-house 
lots  in  all  parts  of  the  city.  Business  and  dwelling  houses  have 
gone  up  with  a  rapidity  only  equalled  by  the  surprising  readiness 
with  which  they  have  found  occupants.  Business  in  all  its  varied 
branches  seems  to  have  sprung  up  as  if  by  magic.  Ten  months  ago 
the  site  upon  which  the  future  metropolis  of  the  great  southwest 
now  stands  was  but  the  fallow  field  of  the  thrifty  native.  The 
transformation  has  been  truly  wonderful. 

Thus  far  the  speculative  mania  has  not  to  any  great  extent  engaged 
the  attention  of  our  citizens,  but  on  the  other  hand  the  disposition 
has  been  to  encourage  immigration  and  settlement  by  giving  to  new 
comers  the  advantages  of  schedule  rates  on  desirable  property,  and 
with  a  few  exceptions  we  have  not  been  cursed  by  fancy  figures, 
parties  mostly  buying  with  a  view  to  immediate  improvement.  This, 
of  course,  gives  a  healthy  tone  to  the  present  situation,  and  augurs 
well  for  the  future. 

Albuquerque,  like  all  the  new  towns  that  have  been  built  up 
rapidly,  has  its  complement  of  shanties  or  hurriedly  constructed 
buildings.  These,  however,  with  the  march  of  progress,  are  giving 
way  to  a  really  permanent  and  substantial  class  of  improvements, 
with  a  decided  tendency  toward  architectural,  beauty  as  well  as 
uniformity  of  design,  which  will  add  materially  to  the  appearance 
of  the  town.  However,  it  is  the  intention  of  the  writer  to  dwell 
more  particularly  upon  the  future  of  Albuquerque  as  indicated  by 
the  present  current  of  popular  opinion,  which  finds  its  source  in  the 
advantages  of  location  and  tributary  resources,  and  which  alone  in 
the  natural  course  of  human  events  are  sufficient  to  make  her  the 
foremost  city,  not  only  of  New  Mexico,  but  of  the  great  southwest. 
In  the  days  of  steam,  electricity  and  the  hundreds  of  other  motive 
powers  that  act  as  the  drive  wheels  of  civilization,  one  of  the  most 
important  factors  in  the  growth,  permanence  and  prosperity  of  a 
new  town,  is  its  system  of 


22  Report  of  the  Commissioner 


Railroads--Their  Connections  and  Outlets. 

In  this  connection  Albuquerque  has  at  present,  and  assured  to  her 
in  the  near  future,  in  rounded  fullness  the  measure  of  these  advan- 
tages. The  three  great  railroads  now  traversing  the  territory,  are 
centering  here.  The  Atchison,  Topeka  &  Santa  Fe  now  connects 
with  the  Southern  Pacific  at  Deming,  giving  us  a  through  route  to 
the  Pacific  coast  at  San  Francisco  ;  extending  on  south  through  old 
Mexico,  it  reaches  the  gulf  of  California  at  Guaymas.  The  Atlantic 
&  Pacific  railroad,  the  future  great  trans-continental  thoroughfare, 
is  already  built  west  for  over  two  hundred  miles,  with  a  contract  let 
for  three  hundred  miles  more,  to  be  built  the  present  season  ;  this 
brings  them  to  the  Big  Colorado  river,  where  connection  is  made 
with  the  Southern  California  railroad,  running  from  San  Diego, 
California,  north  to  San  Francisco,  giving  us  two  more  outlets  to  the 
seaboard,  via  this  route  west.  On  the  east  the  St.  Louis  &  San 
Francisco  is  building  from  Vinita  west  to  connect  with  the  Atlantic 
&  Pacific  road  at  Albuquerque.  The  completion  of  this  road  gives 
us  a  direct  outlet  to  the  Atlantic  seaboard.  The  Denver  &  Rio 
Grande  railroad  will  shortly  extend  its  line  down  the  Rio  Grande 
valley,  and  cross  here  on  their  way  to  a  southern  outlet  on  the  gulf 
of  California,  or  Mexico,  most  probably  the  latter.  Thus  it  will  be 
seen  that  Albuquerque  can  reach  out  to  all  points,  north,  south,  east 
and  west,  by  a  system  of  railroads  centering  here,  and  giving  her 
the  advantages  of  the  various  direct  outlets  reached  by  the  termini 
of  these  several  roads,  their  branches  and  connections. 

The  next  important  factor  in  building  up  and  sustaining  a  commer- 
cial center  is  her 

Tributary  Resources. 

Of  these  it  is  necessary  to  speak  more  in  detail,  in  order  to  give 
the  reader  an  intelligent  and  comprehensive  idea  of  their  magnitude 
and  variety.  The  cattle  and  sheep  interests  will  come  first  in 
importance,  from  the  fact  that  they  have  hitherto,  or  previous  to 
the  new  order  of  things  in  the  territory,  constituted  almost  the  sole 
industry  of  the  native  element.  This  industry  alone  has  been  the 
main  avenue  to  wealth  and  the  support  of  the  citizens  of  this 
territory,  for  the  last  two  centuries,  and  the  evidences  are  on  every 
hand  to  bear  testimony  to  the  wealth  produced  through  this  industry 
alone.  Now  that  the  railroads  are  penetrating  the  territory  from 
every  point,  the  wool  clip,  which  has  been  largely  credited  to 


of  Bernalillo  County.  23 


Colorado  heretofore,  will  be  rightfully  placed  to  the  credit  of  New 
Mexico,  giving  us  actual,  indisputable  possession  of  facts  and 
figures  that  will  rank  New  Mexico  foremost  among  the  pastoral  and 
wool  producing  states  and  territories  of  the  Union.  It  will  be  seen 
by  reference  to  the  map  of  the  territory,  that  Albuquerque  is 
geographically  located  in  the  very  center  or  heart  of  this  vast 
wealth  producing  district,  and  by  the  system  of  railroads  before 
mentioned,  which  penetrate  it  from  every  point  of  the  compass,  its 
products  are  brought  to  her  doors,  where  they  can  be  again  taken  up 
and  distributed  to  the  world,  either  raw  or  in  manufactured  state. 

The  next  feature  of  importance  that  intrudes  itself  upon  the 
close  observer,  and  to  which  cannot  be  attached  too  much  weight 
in  the  contemplation  of  the  possibilities  of  Albuquerque,  is  the  vast 
area  of  irrigable  lands  that  lie  immediately  tributary  to,  and  at  her 
very  doors.  There  is  nothing  that  contributes  more  to  the  health, 
growth,  prosperity,  progress  and  permanence  of  a  commercial  or 
manufacturing  center,  than  the  support  and  assistance  of  an 
agricultural  community  sufficiently  large  and  prosperous  to  render 
its  citizens,  merchants,  mechanics  and  manufacturers  entirely  and 
wholly  independent  of  the  outside  world,  so  far  as  concerns  the 
products  of  the  soil.  This,  in  the  natural  course  of  things/  will  be 
the  case  with  Albuquerque.  There  are  already  many  people  coming 
in  who  are,  by  education  and  experience,  agriculturalists,  and  once 
in  the  hands  of  practical  farmers,  with  all  the  improved  modern 
implements  to  assist  them,  too  extravagant  an  estimate  cannot  be 
put  upon  the  wonderful  agricultural  resources  of  this  valley. 

Next  in  importance  comes  our  mineral  resources.  Though 
comparatively  undeveloped,  they  already  give  unmistakable  evi- 
dences of  an  exhaustless  supply  of  mineral  wealth  that  will  yet 
startle  the  world.  By  a  table  of  distances  to  the  principal  mines 
and  mining  districts,  Albuquerque  is  shown  to  be  from  fifteen  to  one 
hundred  and  fifty  miles  nearer  than  any  other  base  of  supplies  in 
the  territory.  With  this  general  outline  of  the  resources  that  are 
tributary  to,  and  must  inevitably  contribute  to  the  future  growth 
and  importance  of  this  town,  we  will  pass  on  and  briefly  review  the 
many  enterprises  already  in  active  operation,  and  assured  to  her  in 
the  near  future. 

Albuquerque  has  some  of  the  strongest  and  most  prosperous 
wholesale  and  supply  houses  in  the  territory,  and  in  order  to  give 
the  reader  some  idea  of  the  amount  of  business  done  by  our 


24  Report  of  the  Commissioner 


merchants,  we  will  give  here  the  amount  of  cash  receipts  from 
freights  alone  at  the  depot  of  the  Atchison,  Topeka  &  Santa  Fe 
road  from  the  sixteenth  day  of  April,  1880,  to  March  i,  1881  : 


April,  1880 $  9,431.98 

May,     "       35,722.24 

June,     "     33,236.61 

Juty,      "     42,089.84 

Aug.,    "     71,628.28 


Oct.,  1881 $73,752.80 

Nov.,    "     58,290.73 

Dec.,    "     64,882.48 

Jan.,   1881 85,593.17 

Feb.,     "     80,798.95 


Sept.,   "     67,979.73 

Making  a  total  of  $628,407.11  in  ten  months  and  a  half.     A  pretty 
good  showing. 

The  round  houses,  machine  shops  and  terminal  offices  of  "the 
Atlantic  &  Pacific  railroad  are  permanently  located  here,  as  will 
most  likely  be  the  division  terminal  offices,  round  houses  and 
machine  shops  of  the  Denver  &  Rio  Grande  railroad.  The  Atchi- 
son, Topeka  &  Santa  Fe  have  also  large  interests  here,  and  will  do 
much  for  the  town.  Woolen  mills  are  already  under  way,  and  will 
be  completed  early  the  present  season.  A  foundry  and  machine 
shops,  on  a  large  scale,  are  under  contract  and  are  to  be  in  I 
operation  within  six  months,  in  connection  with  which  is  to  be  put 
in  operation  by  the  same  parties,  sampling  works.  A  smelter  with 
large  capacity  is  also  among  the  probabilities  the  present  summer. 
A  street  car  line  is  now  being  constructed,  which  is  to  be  running 
in  less  than  ten  days.  Our  hotel  facilities  will  be  the  best  in  the 
territory,  within  the  next  three  months ;  already  we  have  excellent 
hotels,  which  will,  in  the  time  mentioned,  be  added  to  by  two  more 
magnificent  hostelries,  one  of  which  is  just  now  receiving  the 
finishing  touches,  and  the  other  under  contract  to  be  finished  within 
sixty  days.  A  charter  has  been  obtained,  and  a  company  formed, 
to  put  in  gas  works  the  present  season.  A  brick  machine  is  now 
on  the  way  here,  which,  when  under  way,  will  supply  an  urgent  need 
in  building  material.  Money  has  been  subscribed  to  bridge  the  Rio 
Grande  at  this  point,  which  will  greatly  augment  the  business  of  our 
merchants,  by  bringing  to  them  a  large  jrade,  which,  on  account  of 
the  dangers  of  crossing  the  river,  is  forced  to  go  elsewhere  during  a 
greater  portion  of  the  season.  Two  flouring  mills  are  constantly 
running  and  doing  a  handsome  business  at  present,  with  flattering 
prospects  for  a  large  increase  in  business  the  present  season. 

Our  school  institutions  are  worthy  of  flattering  notice,  and  the 
writer  alludes  to  them,  as  does  every  citizen  of  Albuquerque,  with 


of  Bern  a  lillo  County.  25 

commendable  pride.  The  Albuquerque  Academy,  incorporated 
under  the  laws  of  the  territory,  and  liberally  assisted  by  the  New 
West  Educational  Commission,  of  Chicago,  is  in  a  flourishing 
condition.  Its  board  of  trustees  are  some  of  our  most  wealthy  and 
influential  citizens.  The  course  is  very  thorough,  including  the 
English  branches,  German,  French,  Spanish  and  music.  Professor 
Charles  S.  Howe,  principal;  Miss  Mary  Snyder,  first  assistant; 
Mfs.  C.  Pishnot,  second  assistant,  and  teacher  of  French  and 
German  ;  Miss  Eva  Everett,  third  assistant,  and  teacher  of  Spanish. 
This  institution  is  nonsectarian,  and  is  being  well  supported  by 
endowments  and  donations.  It  is  the  intention  of  the  board  to 
erect  a  handsome  building  the  present  season.  The  public  school 
for  boys,  under  the  supervision  and  management  of  the  Christian 
Brothers,  is  deserving  of  special  mention;  there  is  also  under  the 
auspices  of  the  Brothers  here  a  college,  where  a  full  course  is  given. 
There  will  be  erected  here  the  present  season,  a  magnificent 
structure  to  be  used  as  a  convent  school,  which  will  be  under  the 
management  of  the  Sisters.  ;IC  L*DJtS8^. 

The  government  has  established   here  an  industrial    school  for 
Pueblo  Indians,  at  which  are  taught  the  common.  English  branches, 
agriculture,  domestic  economy,  etc.     This  institution  is  under  the 
management    of   Professor    J.    S.    Shearer.     The    government   has 
appropriated  money  and  will  build  substantial  buildings  the  present 
season.     Our  church  and  society  privileges  are  all  that  could  be 
desired  in  point  of  excellence.     Our  churches  embrace  all  of  the 
principal  denominations,  and  are  receiving  daily  accessions  to  their 
members.     Our  society  is  exceptionally  good,  being  composed  of 
well-to-do  intelligent  people  from   all  parts  of  the   country,  who 
come    here    with    a    common    purpose,   and   who    seem    to    adapt  | 
themselves  with  wonderful  aptitude  to  the  situation  and  surround-  I 
ings.     In  conclusion,  we  wish  to  call  the  attention  of  the  reader  to  | 
our  grand  central  position  and  the  opportunities,  and  we  might  add  I 
the  necessities,  for  a  large  commercial  and  manufacturing  center  at  | 
this  point.     We  are  situated  about  900  miles  from  Kansas  City  on  ; 
the  east,  500  miles  from  Denver  on  the  north,  almost  1200  "miles  j 
from    San   Francisco   on   the   west,  with    no    large    commercial    or  j 
manufacturing  city  on  the  south.     Thus  it  can  be  seen  that  within  a  j 
radius  of  many  hundred  miles  there- is  nothing    in  the  way  of  a  ; 
manufacturing  or  commercial   point  to  impede  our  progress,  nor  is 
there  likely  to  be  from  the  fact  that  no  other  point,  of  even  present 


26  Report  of  the  Commissioner 

— . __ . | 

prominence  can  sustain  its  claims  against  the  heavy  odds   in  our 
favor  of  location,  resources  and  facilities. 


Distances  from  Albuquerque  to  the  Principal  Mines 
of  New  Mexico 


Tijeras  Canon 15 

Hell  Canon 20 

Sandias 25 

New  Placers 35 

Los  Cerrillos 50 

Abo  Pass  (or  Spiegelberg) 55 

Jemez  (Nacimento  copper  mines)  85 

Ladrones 55 


White  Oaks 80 

Zuni 90 

Oscura   (Hansonburg)          100 

Magdalenas 100 

Black  Range 175 

Mogollons 200 

Organ  Mountains 225 

Hillsborough 250 


Lemitar 60          Shakespeare 275 

Socorro 72      |     £ilver  City 320 


AGRICULTURE 


BY  PROF.  CHARLES  S.  HOWE,  B.  S. 

Whatever  may  be  the  other  resources  of  a  country,  its  permanent 
prosperity  will  depend  in  a  large  measure  upon  its  agricultural 
productions.  Mines  may  bring  wealth  and  manufactures  promote 
prosperity,  but  the  support  of  the  people  must  come  from  the  soil. 
Unless  a  state  can  produce  food  for  its  inhabitants  it  must  be 
dependent  upon  other  states  for  its  supplies,  and  in  view  of  the  high 
rates  of  freight  this  becomes  an  important  matter.  In  this  article  I 
propose  to  state  some  facts  and  give  some  figures  that  will  prove 
conclusively  that  New  Mexico,  and  especially  Bernalillo  county,  is 
abundantly  able  to  produce  its  own  provisions  and  become  inde- 
pendent of  other  sections  of  the  country  for  its  agricultural  supplies. 
Bernalillo  county  occupies  a  central  position  in  the  territory  and 
contains  about  4,000,000  acres.  The  valley  of  the  Rio  Grande 
traverses  it  from  north  to  south  for  a  distance  of  about  eighty  miles. 
The  average  width  of  the  valley  is  five  miles.  The  soil  is  a  rich 

j  alluvial  formed  by  the  overflowing  of  the  river.  For  centuries  the 
Rio  Grande  has  brought  down  the  richest  particles  of  the  mountains 

;  and  valleys  over  which  it  flows  at  the  north  and  deposited  them  here 
on  these  bottom  lands.  Nothing  can  exceed  in  fertility  such  a  soil, 
as  is  proved  by  the  abundant  crops  which  reward  the  labor  of  the 

•   husbandman.     The  climate  is  hot  in  summer  and  the  rains  few  : 

i ' 


of  Bernalillo  County.  27 

consequently  all  crops  have  to  be  irrigated.  This  is  done  by  a 
system  of  acequias  or  ditches  which  lead  from  the  river  and  often 
irrigate  a  section  several  miles  in  length.  The  acequias  are  owned 
by  the  community  and  the  necessary  repairs  are  made  in  common. 
Some  crops  require  more  and  some  less  water,  and  in  different 
seasons  the  amount  will  also  vary  ;  but  the  river  always  furnishes  a 
sufficient  supply.  The  necessity  of  irrigation  is  no  drawback  to 
successful  agriculture.  In  fact  it  may  be  said  to  be  an  advantage. 
In  sections  where  land  is  not  irrigated,  during  times  of  drouth, 
crops  fail.  Some  crops  require  water  at  a  particular  period  of  their 
growth  and  unless  they  receive  it  are  greatly  retarded  or  prove  a 
failure.  Here,  by  opening  the  gate  of  an  acequia,  crops  can 
receive  water  at  any  time.  Irrigation  has  been  in  use  for  centuries. 
In  Egypt  it  was  practiced  thousands  of  years  ago.  Most  of  the 
|  countries  of  eastern  Europe  irrigate  their  lands  and  the  results  are 
surprising.  Irrigation  is  the  cheapest  means  of  producing  crops. 
The  fine  particles  of  earth,  held  in  suspension  by  the  water,  are  the 
very  best  material  for  fertilizing  the  soil.  In  many  parts  of  New 
Mexico  land  has  been  cultivated  for  two  hundred  years  without  the 
use  of  any  fertilizer  except  the  water  with  which  the  land  has  been 
irrigated.  To-day  the  crops  are  as  large  and  the  soil  as  rich  as 
when  the  land  was  first  brought  under  cultivation.  Although 
irrigation  is  in  use  to  some  extent  in  this  valley,  probably  not  more 
than  one-fifth  of  the  arable  land  is  under  cultivation.  The  principal 
occupation  is  grazing,  and  the  people,  naturally  indolent,  cultivate 
only  land  enough  to  supply  their  own  wants.  But  new  energy  and 
new  enterprise  are  being  infused  into  the  valley  and  it  will  not  be 
long  before  these  thousands  of  acres  which  have  lain  idle  for  so 
many  years  will  be  brought  under  the  plough.  This  land  can  be 
bought  for  from  ten  dollars  to  fifty  dollars  per  acre.  The  greater 
part  of  it  can  be  irrigated  at  small  expense  and  it  is  equal  in 
fertility  to  any  portion  of  the  valley.  With  very  little  labor  the 
whole  valley  can  be  made  to  bud  and  blossom  as  the  rose.  But 
the  valley  of  the  Rio  Grande  occupies  only  a  small  portion  of  the 
county.  The  valleys  of  the  Jemes  and  Rio  Puerco,  though  smaller, 
are  no  less  fertile  than  that  just  described. 

Rising  from  the  valley  of  the  Rio  Grande  is  a  high  plain  or  mesa 
which  reaches  to  the  mountains.  This  plain  reaches  throughout 
I  the  whole  length  of  the  county  and  is  from  ten  to  twenty  miles 
j  wide.  It  consists  of  a  light  sandy  loam,  and  would  be  exceedingly 


28  Report  of  the  Commissioner 

valuable  if  water  could  be  procured  for  irrigation.  No  more 
beautiful  plain  exists  in  America  than  this  mesa  lying  east  of  the 
river.  Owing  to  the  expense,  irrigation  can  only  be  used  here  on  a 
large  scale.  But  in  the  near  future  this  will  be  no  obstacle.  Capital, 
seeking  a  safe  investment  in  the  west,  will  find  no  more  profitable 
one 'than  by  irrigating  large  tracts  of  desert  land,  to  thus  reclaim 
them  for  agricultural  purposes.  This  plain  could  be  irrigated  in 
several  ways.  Water  sufficient  for  the  whole  tract  could  easily  be 
brought  from  the  river.  The  melted  snows  and  the  rains  as  they 
pour  down  the  sides  of  the  mountains  arid  through  the  canons  in 
the  spring  might  be  collected  in  vast  reservoirs  and  thence  con- 
ducted over  the  land.  Another  method,  and  one  that  has  been 
successfully  tried  in  some  portions  of  the  west,  would  be  to  sink 
artesian  wells.  Water  could  probably  be  struck  at  a  depth  of  a 
thousand  or  fifteen  hundred  feet.  However  it  is  to  be  accomplished, 
it  doubtless  can  and  soon  will  be  done. 

Grains. 

While  all  crops  common  to  a  temperate  climate  grow  here,  grains 
do  especially  well.  Corn  grows  abundantly  and  eighty  bushels  to 
the  acre  is  no  uncommon  crop.  The  rich  soil  of  the  valley  is  well 
adapted  to  corn  and  makes  it  one  of  the  staple  crops.  Wheat  is 
grown  extensively.  The  yield  is  often  fifty  bushels  to  the  acre. 
The  present  yield  in  the  county  is  about  two  hundred  thousand 
bushels,  but  this  could  be  almost  indefinitely  increased.  Wheat 
would  grow  particularly  well  on  the  plains  already  spoken  of. 
Barley  and  oats  are  raised  to  some  extent  and  do  well  in  the  soil  of 

the  valley. 

Vegetables. 

Vegetables  are  raised  in  great  abundance  and  find  a  ready  market 
in  Albuquerque  and  other  towns  along  the  river.  Cabbage  grow  to 
a  large  size,  often  weighing  thirty  to  forty  pounds.  Onions  are  also 
very  large,  weighing  from  one  to  two  pounds.  Beets,  onions,  carrots 
and  parsnips  grow  here  readily.  Beans  are  cultivated  in  great 
quantities  and  form  one  of  the  principal  articles  of  food  for  the 
native  population.  Melons  develop  finely  and  are  very  rich  in 
flavor. 

Fruits. 

The  soil  of  the  Rio  Grande  valley  seems  to  be  better  adapted  to 
produce  fruits  than  anything  else.  Apples,  pears,  peaches,  plums, 
and  all  the  small  fruits  are  cultivated.  But  the  grape  stands  at  the 


of  Bernalillo  County.  29 

head  of  the  fruits  of  New  Mexico.  Rich,  juicy,  and  sweet,  it 
challenges  comparison  with  any  other  grape  in  the  world.  But  a 
full  description  of  the  culture  of  the  grape  will  appear  in  another 
article. 

Stock  Raising. 

The  raising  of  cattle  and  sheep  has  been  and  probably  will  be 
the  principal  pursuit  of  this  county.  For  hundreds  of  years  the 
Spanish  .Dons  have  made  immense  fortunes  in  this  business. 
Thousands  of  acres  of  land,  rendered  unfit  for  cultivation  because 
of  lack  of  water,  are  specially  adapted  for  grazing.  The  gramma 
grass,  which  is  sweet  and  nutritious,  covers  most  of  the  plains  and 
provides  an  unfailing  supply  of  food  summer  and  winter.  Hundreds 
of  thousands  of  sheep  and  cattle  cover  the  large  plains,  but  there 
is  room  for  many  more.  Wool  always  brings  a  good  price  and 
cattle  are  in  constant  demand.  As  a  rule  both  cattle  and  sheep  are 
free  from  disease.  The  warm  winters  make  it  unnecessary  to 
provide  shelter  or  hay  for  their  support.  The  number  of  sheep  in 
the  county  is  1,500,000.  Many  of  these  are  partly  improved.  The 
prices  are  from  one  dollar  to  two  dollars  per  head,  according  to 
quality. 

Near  the  larger  towns,  dairy  farms  pay  a  large  profit.  Milk, 
butter  and  cheese  are  in  great  demand.  In  fact  all  agricultural 
products  find  a  ready  market.  To  the  farmer  who  wishes  to  come 
west  there  is  no  better  place  than  the  Rio  Grande  valley.  A  mild 
climate,  fertile  soil,  and  a  good  market  are  the  inducements  here 
offered. 


CLIMATE 


BY   GEN.   M.  T.  THOMAS. 

This  territory  is  located  between  the  thirty-first  and  thirty- 
seventh  degrees  of  north  latitude,  and  between  the  one  hundred 
and  third  and  one  hundred  and  ninth  degrees  of  longitude  west. 
It  covers  an  area  of  about  three  hundred  and  sixty  miles  square. 

Its  maximum  elevation,  or  highest  mountain  peak,  is  about 
fourteen  thousand  feet  above  the  level  of  the  sea,  and  the  lowest 
point  in  its  valleys  is  about  two  thousand  five  hundred  feet  above 
the  sea  level.  The  mean  elevation  of  its  valleys  is  about  five 
thousand  feet.  It  is  impossible  (even  if  it  were  advisable)  in  this 


30  Report  of  the  Commissioner 

article  to  give  a  thermometrical  record  of  the  temperature,  for 
none  has  been  kept  until  of  a  very  recent  date  ;  and  we  will  there- 
fore write  only  such  facts  in  regard  to  it  as  appear  indisputable  to  a 
resident. 

The  spring  season,  when  the  grass  starts  to  grow  and  the  flowers 
put  forth  their  beautiful  blossoms,  commences  from  March  20  to 
April  15.  The  last  frost  to  do  any  damage  is  seldom  later  than  the 
last  mentioned  date.  So  that  grain  and  other  cereals  and  vegetable 
products,  which  have  been  planted  in  March,  have  nothing  to  fear 
from  climatic  changes  after  that  time. 

The  sun  shines  more  than  three  hundred  days  in  the  year.  And 
his  rays  here  are  very  different  from  those  in  the  north,  where  a 
large  part  of  the  year  he  goes  sneaking  along  the  edge  of  the  horizon 
as  though  he  feared  to  show  his  face  ;  while  in  this  latitude,  soon 
after  the  first  faint  streak  of  daylight,  he  comes  looming  up  over 
some  mountain  range  like  an  immense  fire  ball  being  shot  out  of  a 
mortar,  and  he  goes  sailing  upward  and  onward  almost  directly  over 
head,  sending  his  warm  and  life-giving  rays  down  into  every  nook 
and  cranny,  obliterating  shade  and  darkness,  and  giving  life,  health 
and  strength  to  both  vegetable  and  animal  life.  These  almost 
vertical  rays  of  the  sun,  which  in  the  low  latitudes  with  low 
elevations  like  Louisiana,  render  the  heat  almost  intolerable,  in  our 
high  altitudes  are  harmless  ;  such  a  calamity  as  sunstroke  being 
unheard  of. 

We  have  the  same  dry,  invigorating  atmosphere  that  has  rendered 
Minnesota  famous  the  world  over,  without  the  insupportable  cold  of 
its  winters  ;  and  the  salubrious,  balmy  temperature  of  Florida  in 
winter,  without  its  depressing  and  sweltering  days  of  summer. 

To  believe  these  sayings  one  has  only  to  look  at  our  five 
thousand  feet  elevation  in  a  mean  latitude  of  thirty-four  degrees, 
and  he  will  readily  see  that  the  otherwise  tropical  heat  of  summer 
would  be  tempered  by  the  great  altitude,  and  that  the  universally 
cool  air  of  an  altitude  of  five  thousand  feet  is  equally  tempered  by 
the  almost  vertical  rays  of  the  sun  in  winter.  We  claim,  therefore, 
for  New  Mexico,  the  most- equable  and  enjoyable  temperature  of 
any  part  of  the  United  States,  and  that  it  cannot,  for  healthfulness 
and  life-preserving  qualities,  be  excelled  in  any  land  of  the  known 
world. 

Fever  and  ague  are  unknown.  Asthma  disappears  like  dew 
before  the  sun.  Consumptives,  who  have  a  reasonable  amount  of 


of  Bernalillo  County.  31 

breathing  apparatus  left,  are  greatly  improved,  and  with  plenty  of 

sunshine  and  outdoor  life   may  have  strong  hopes  of  living  long 

enough  to  dry  up  and  blow  away  in  this  climate,  instead  of  coughing 

and  spitting  away  their  substance,  as  they  do  in  many  of  the  old 

states.      Our   atmosphere  is   so  clear  and  pure  that  the   range  is 

extended  to  great  distances.     Every  detail  of  mountain  scenery  is 

lainly  visible  "at  a  distance   of  thirty  or  forty   miles.     At  twenty 

miles  distance  the  shape  of  the  trees,  rocks  and  ravines  along  the 

sides  of  the  Sandias  are  plainly  to  be  traced  with  the  naked  eye. 

From  the  foot-hills  at  its  base,  this  beautiful  range  of  mountains 

rises  up  in  grand  proportions,  its  rugged  face  scarred  with  ravines. 

Half-way  up  a  timber  belt  is  stretched  along  its  front  like  a  girdle, 

and  high  up  in  the  heavens  its  snow-capped  range  rests  against  a 

blue  ethereal  sky  for  a  back-ground,  with  every  feature  as  distinctly 

marked  out  to  view,  as  a  show  bill  posted  on  a  board  fence. 

This  may  well  be  called  "The  land  of  sunshine,"  for  no  inter- 
vening clouds  or  vapors  obstruct  the  passage  of  the  sun's  rays, 
whose  dazzling  brightness  is  only  approached  in  brilliancy  by 
those  of  the  electric  light,  and  it  would  require  a  million  electric 
lights  to  approach  the  magnitude  of  the  boundless  mass  of  rays  of 
light  flashing  from  a  rising  or  a  setting  sun  in  New  Mexico. 

There  is  little  approach  to  a  sunset  in  New  Mexico.  The  sun 
comes  down  the  western  horizon  with  a  rush.  As  it  approaches  the 
earth  line,  broad  daylight  still  exists  and  the  beholder  stops  and 
wonders  if  his  course  will  be  stayed,'  or  at  least  if  he  will  not  linger 
as  elsewhere  to  cast  a  lingering  look  over  the  beautiful  landscape 
that  he  has  blessed  with  gladsome  light  for  the  past  few  hours. 
But  no!  for  an  instant  quivering  flashes  of  light  burst  from  his 
mighty  form,  irradiating  the  whole  western  horizon  with  a  halo  of 
scintilating  and  impenetrable  light,  and  to  all  appearance  the  sun's 
great  body  dissolves  itself  into  long  silvery  flashes,  which  penetrate 
the  boundless  realms  of  upper  space.  With  this  closing  view  one 
involuntarily  turns,  expecting  eternal  darkness  to  reign  henceforth 
in  all  the  land  ;  but  for  one  instant  only  the  feeling  of  awe  and 
sadness  is  allowed  to  fill  the  mind  at  th$  death  of  the  orb  of  day — 
for  his  dying  rays  flashing  across  ethereal  space  with  electric  speed 
lights  up  the  lamps  of  heaven,  and  planets,  meteors  and  modest 
^ttle  stars  rise  with  the  beautiful  moon  in  rendering  dear  reposeful 
a  beauty  and  a  joy  forever. 


